Unfiltered with new Dolphins offensive coordinator Bill Lazor

January 15, 2014|By Omar Kelly, Sun Sentinel

Bill Lazor will be the new architect of the Miami Dolphins offense, and he'll call his own plays.

He's not promising an uptempo offense. He's not promising a ton of production. The only think he'll guarantee the Miami Dolphins is the fact he's a competitor, and plans to take a ride or die approach with his new boss, head coach Joe Philbin.

Here is what Lazor had to say about his new position in his own words during Wednesday's teleconference.

“I would just like to say how much I am looking forward to being part of the Dolphins, how excited I am about it. I’m looking forward to getting to Miami and getting to work. I was extremely excited when Coach (Joe) Philbin offered me the position of offensive coordinator. We spent a good amount of time getting to know each other. What I know about Coach Philbin is that he and the organization are committed to winning. I’m excited to be part of a winner, and in my opinion I think a strong nucleus is in place to help build a winning team. I think the work that coach has done has laid a foundation, and my job is simply to come in a work and we are going to work at it. I’m really excited to be there and have a chance to meet everyone. I would like to thank Jeffrey Lurie, Chip Kelly and the entire Eagles organization including the players that I have worked with because it’s really been a great experience over this last year and a great opportunity, but it’s time to look forward and I’m excited to get to Miami.”

What was the biggest selling points that convinced you the Dolphins were the right fit for him?

“It’s simple, it was Coach Philbin himself. It’s about people, and it’s about trusting the person that you are working for and working with. You want to be around people with character. You want to be around people who are committed to winning and doing things the right way. I want to be around football people, which is what Coach Philbin is. He’s a football coach. He has a great reputation. I’ve known about him. We’ve known each other a little bit maybe casually for a number of years. The more that I researched who he is then when I had a chance to meet with Coach Philbin, the interaction we had as far as talking football, talking schemes and going back and forth, it really sold me on the fact that this is the kind of person who can lead an organization. He is the kind of coach that is committed to winning and who I felt like I could come and help and picture myself working with to build a winner.”

Why did you pick the Dolphins over the Detroit Lions, where you were reportedly set to become the offensive coordinator?

“Well I can’t comment on decisions other organizations would make. What I can tell you is from the moment Coach (Joe) Philbin called the Eagles to ask permission to speak with me, through my interview process with him, though all the phone conversations that we’ve had since then, it’s been a very clear, open communication between me and Coach Philbin. He’s been very consistent with what he told me, the timeline he gave me. There were no surprises I don’t think from either side, myself or from him. I think we both did a very thorough job in the decision-making process. I really stayed focused on Coach Philbin and what our conversations were the whole time. I really didn’t really focus on any outside distractions.”

What kind of offense and blocking scheme do you plan on running with the Dolphins?

“The clearest way to say it, and it’s probably disappointing, is to say this is the Miami Dolphins’ offense. The number one factor in how we do it and specifically how it looks is going to be the ability of the players we have. I’ve done a little bit of research because I thought it was important for me to going through the decision making process, but I haven’t done nearly enough to be able to answer that question. I can tell you that in talking with Coach Philbin and working with him so far, I’m really excited. We’ll make great decisions in the direction that we need to go and how we are going to get it done.”

What was your experience working under Chip Kelly and what was it that helped you develop Nick Foles?